1987c

The following is a paper by H. Aspden published in Physics Letters, v. 120A, pp. 80-82 (1987).

THE EXPLODING WIRE PHENOMENON AS AN INDUCTIVE EFFECT

Abstract: This paper responds to criticism in the controversy concerning the exploding wire phenomenon. It is maintained that this occurs owing to high current transients interacting with the self-inductive field within the wire, which preclude the electron charge carriers from balancing the tensile stress set up by the effect of the applied EMF on the positive ions of the wire structure.

Commentary: The author had become quite concerned about the way in which the Lorentz force law was being challenged in an effort to substitute Ampere's law. The point which was being missed by those researching this field was that the law of electrodynamics
concerns forces set up with steady-state currents. Sudden high-current discharges involve powerful inductive reaction forces, whereas the classical Ampere force law denies any out-of-balance force action and can only be used to argue wire rupturing if the current discharge is deemed to be segregated in spaced current elements, rather than being the continuous current normally assumed. This was important to the author because the whole of his theory of
gravitation depends upon the law of electrodynamics having the non-Lorentzian, non-Amperian form which he advocates in reference [1969a].